The Legislative
Assembly of the Republic of Bashkortostan issued a decree on
20 November canceling broadcasts of the controversial
"analytical program" hosted by Sergei Dorenko on Russian
Public Television as well as Russian Television's "Zerkalo"
program, RFE/RL's correspondent in Ufa reported. The decree
said those shows "violate federal and republic election
laws." Dorenko, who is a reported protege of business magnate
Boris Berezovskii, has aired a number of programs focusing on
Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov's financial dealings. Luzhkov is
one of the heads of the Fatherland-All Russia (OVR) alliance.
Bashkortostan President Murtaza Rakhimov is a prominent
member of OVR. In a recent study of press freedom in the
regions, Bashkortostan received the lowest score of all 88
regions studied (see "RFE/RL Russian Federation Report," 3
November 1999). JAC

...DEPRIVE OPPONENTS OF MEDIA ACCESS...

The government of
Primorskii Krai Governor Yevgenii Nazdratenko shut the
offices of the independent radio station Lemma on 18
November, Reuters reported the next day. The official reason
given for the station's closure was violation of a rental
agreement. However, journalists at the station said the real
reason was that the station had given airtime to
Nazdratenko's political opponents, such as former Vladivostok
Mayor Viktor Cherepkov, according to the agency. Cherepkov
announced on 19 November that he will not participate in next
month's gubernatorial elections, saying that since the
federal authorities show no signs of curbing the activities
of the krai's acting governor, "clean elections are
impossible." Reportedly, Nazdratenko also recently arranged
for the dismissal of the editor of "Moskovskii Komsomolets v
Vladivostoke," who he considered to be too critical of the
krai administration. According to "Kommersant-Daily" on 20
November, the opposition newspaper "Arsenievskie vesti" has
also been prevented from publishing. JAC

...AS OTHER REGIONAL AUTHORITIES ACCUSED OF ELECTION
MEDDLING

The television program "Novosti" reported on 16
November that some candidates in the State Duma elections are
experiencing difficulties in meeting potential voters in
certain regions because of the actions of regional
authorities. For example, Liberal Democratic Party leader
Vladimir Zhirinovskii claimed he experienced such problems in
Tula Oblast, whose governor is on the Communists' party list.
Former Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin, who is included on
Yabloko's list, said Kalmykia President Kirsan Ilyuzhinov
disrupted his meetings with local voters. Ilyumzhinov has
expressed some support for the pro-Kremlin bloc, Unity. JAC

RUSSIAN FORCES BOMBARD URUS MARTAN, BAMUT, ARGUN

Federal
forces continued their air and artillery bombardment of Urus
Martan, 15 kilometers southwest of Grozny, on 19-21 November.
Reuters reported that "hundreds" of Chechen defenders are
digging trenches in the hope of halting the Russian advance.
Interfax on 20 November quoted a Russian military spokesman
as saying that some 3,500 Chechen fighters armed with air
defense systems and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles are
concentrated in the town. Urus Martan commands one of the
last highways to Grozny not yet under Russian control.
Russian forces also continued their intensive bombardment of
the western village of Bamut, where fighting has been under
way for weeks, and the town of Argun, east of Grozny. An
estimated 5,000-6,000 Chechen fighters are preparing to
defend Grozny, which is 80 percent surrounded by Russian
forces, according to AP, quoting a Russian Defense Ministry
official in Moscow. LF

MORE CIVILIANS RETURN TO CHECHNYA

Speaking in Moscow on 19
November, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata
called for increased aid for the estimated 200,000 displaced
civilians who have fled the conflict in Chechnya, Reuters
reported. Meanwhile up to 10,000 Chechens may have already
returned from Ingushetia to areas of Chechnya under Russian
military control, in particular the villages of Assinovskaya
and Sernovodsk, Reuters reported on 20 November. Some
residents who returned to Sernovodsk found their homes have
been looted by Russian troops. A Reuters journalist who
visited the town of Gudermes on 20 November reported that gas
supplies were restored there that day and electricity has
been promised within days. He quoted local residents as
expressing resentment and suspicion of field commander Shamil
Basaev and his fighters. But the residents also explained
that it was fear of Russian reprisals that impelled them to
drive the Chechen defenders out of the town. LF

PUTIN AGAIN RULES OUT EASING CHECHEN CAMPAIGN

Speaking on
Russian Public Television on 20 November, Russian Prime
Minister Vladimir Putin vowed that the Russian offensive in
Chechnya, which he insists is an anti-terrorist operation and
not a war, will continue without pause until all "terrorist
bands" are eliminated. He also ruled out any negotiations
with what he termed "international terrorists." In Moscow,
leaders of various organizations representing the Chechen
diaspora have agreed to cooperate in the hope of resolving
the conflict and may join in peace talks with Chechen
President Aslan Maskhadov and other Chechen leaders, Interfax
reported on 20 November. Chechen Mufti Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov,
with whom Putin met on 18 November, endorsed the Chechen
emigres' initiative. LF

OSCE SUMMIT CALLS FOR POLITICAL SOLUTION IN NORTH CAUCASUS

The final document adopted at the OSCE summit in Istanbul on
19 November acknowledges the territorial integrity of the
Russian Federation and condemns "terrorism in all its forms."
It calls for efforts to alleviate the suffering of the
civilian population in connection with "recent events in the
North Caucasus" and stresses that "a political solution is
essential," reaffirming the readiness of the OSCE to "assist
in the renewal of political dialogue." The statement welcomes
Moscow's willingness to permit OSCE Chairman In Office Knut
Vollebaek to visit the region. Interfax on 19 November quoted
unnamed "diplomatic sources" as predicting that Vollebaek
will travel to Moscow this week and from there to Ingushetia
and the Russian-controlled districts of northern Chechnya. LF

LINKAGE BETWEEN IMF FUNDS, CHECHNYA ALLEGED...

An
unidentified senior U.S. administration official told "The
New York Times" on 19 November that U.S. President Bill
Clinton's administration does not exclude withholding U.S.
support for disbursing an IMF loan to Russia in order to
pressure Moscow to ease its military offensive in Chechnya.
Loans to Russia from the Export-Import Bank might be
similarly affected, the official said. Officially, however,
the administration's stance has not changed from that voiced
earlier by U.S. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, who
said "it would not make sense" for the U.S. to withhold
support for a new IMF disbursement. On 12 November, Mikhail
Zadornov, former presidential envoy to the international
financial institutions, told the government newspaper,
"Rossiiskaya gazeta," that IMF officials want Russia to
settle its military conflict in the North Caucasus as soon as
possible. The main problem during negotiations, according to
Zadornov, has been the Chechen conflict. JAC

...AS LIKELY DATE FOR NEXT DISBURSEMENT CONTINUES TO SLIP

An
unidentified source "close to the Russian government's
negotiations with the IMF" told Interfax on 19 November that
Russia is unlikely to receive the next installment before
January 2000. First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko
predicted earlier that the next installment would be released
in mid-December. "Vremya MN" noted the same day that the
former view was justified since "it is impossible [for the
State Duma] to adopt all the laws the fund is insisting on"
with only a week-and-a-half of work remaining before the
current Duma session ends. Deputy Finance Minister Aleksei
Kudrin told reporters on 19 November that financing the
military operation in Chechnya will require only 3 billion
rubles ($113 million) in additional budget funds next year
and that estimates such as 20-30 billion rubles are "grossly
exaggerated." JAC

RUSSIAN STOCK MARKET SURGING

The Russian stock market
finished last week as the world's third-best performing
exchange, "The Moscow Times" reported on 20 November. On 19
November, the benchmark RTS index rose 6 percent from the
previous day. Factors behind the market's strong performance
are news of an expected deal between Russia and the London
Club creditors and optimism about the U.S. stock market.
According to the daily, traders say that "the buying pressure
is not losing steam and only a bad election outcome could
dampen the current rally." AFP reported the next day that the
surge in world oil prices is expected to result in large
profits for the country's oil companies this year. JAC

YAKOVLEV OFFERING OLIVE BRANCH OVER ABM?

Strategic Rocket
Forces commander Colonel General Vladimir Yakovlev told
Russian Public Television on 19 November that Russia and the
U.S. should form a joint commission to examine the "threat"
Moscow believes would arise if Washington set up a limited
national defense system, Reuters reported. "If this
commission works properly, we could speak in more detail
about the need to create national anti-missile systems," he
said. Yakovlev repeated his stance that a "new round of the
Cold War" would ensue if the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
were "dumped." And he also underlined that if no compromise
were found, Russia would seek a response that might include
boosting the strength of existing Topol missiles, upgrading
features of the new Topol-M missile, using multiple warheads
and further work on means to overcome anti-missile defense."
JC

IVANOV DENIES ANY DEALS WITH U.S. OVER CHECHNYA, IRAQ

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has denied that Russia
is prepared to make concessions over Iraq at the UN Security
Council if the U.S. ceases to exert pressure on Moscow over
its actions in Chechnya. Interfax quoted Ivanov as saying in
Istanbul on 19 November that foreign media reports suggesting
that such is the case are "absolute speculation." Referring
to his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
in Istanbul the previous day, Ivanov said the two sides are
trying to draft a resolution that would provide for "lifting
sanctions and at the same time establishing strict
international controls." "The New York Times" on 19 November
had reported that in an informal document that Ivanov had
handed to Albright in Istanbul, Russia had expressed its
readiness to cut a deal over Iraq. JC

COMMUNISTS AMASS LARGEST CAMPAIGN FUND...

The Communist Party
was the most successful in raising campaign funds for 19
December elections to the State Duma. According to data
released by the Central Election Commission, the Communists
amassed 31.32 million rubles ($1.2 million) as of 15
November--25 percent more than Grigorii Yavlinskii's Yabloko,
which had collected 24.97 million rubles, Interfax reported.
Zhironovskii's Bloc was the second most successful
fundraiser, having collected 26.25 million rubles. JAC

...AS WOMEN, REGIONS PROVE LESS SUCCESSFUL

According to
"Izvestiya" on 20 November, Women in Russia collected the
least funds. That group also has the largest number of
regional representatives on its list, according to "EWI's
Russian Regional Report." JAC

CENTER RIGHT MOVEMENT ALLEGEDLY GAINING IN POPULARITY

"Komsomolskaya pravda," which is owned by Vladimir Potanin's
Interros Group and LUKoil, reported on 20 November that "many
polls" show that during the past few weeks the Union of
Rightist Forces (SPS) is gaining in popularity and may
overcome the 5 percent barrier in State Duma elections
necessary to enter that body. The daily cites a poll
conducting by the National Center for the Study of Public
Opinion on 13-14 November showing that the SPS has moved into
fourth place, overtaking the pro-Kremlin Unity bloc. JAC

LEBED FOE SEEKING POLITICAL ASYLUM IN HUNGARY

The lawyer for
Krasnoyarsk Aluminum head Anatolii Bykov told Ekho Moskvy on
21 November that his client has applied to Hungary for
political asylum. Bykov was recently detained by the
Hungarian authorities because of an arrest warrant issued
earlier in Russia on a variety charges, such as money
laundering. According to his lawyer, Bykov believes that the
charges against him are "politically motivated" and that law
enforcement officials are acting under strong pressure from
the Krasnoyarsk Krai administration and Governor Aleksandr
Lebed. Lebed and Bykov have locked horns on a number of
issues in the krai, including control over local companies.
JAC

CABINET OFFICIAL, GOVERNOR INJURED IN CAR ACCICENT

Deputy
Prime Minister Valentina Matvienko and Governor of Penza
Oblast Nikolai Bochkarev were both hospitalized after the car
in which they were travelling was involved in an accident in
Penza on 20 November. Matvienko has two broken legs and
concussion, while Bochkarev received head injuries, according
to AP. The drivers of the two cars involved in the accident
were killed. JAC

MILITARY BRASS ENGAGE IN WHITE ELEPHANT SALE

An admiral and
several high-ranking officers from Russia's Pacific Fleet
have been charged with illegally renting and selling
warships, AFP reported on 18 November. Among other things,
they are accused of selling the "Anadyr," whose value is
estimated at $107 million. It has not been disclosed who
bought the vessel. JC

ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS CALL FOR REGIONAL SECURITY
SYSTEM...

In their speeches to the OSCE Istanbul summit, both
Robert Kocharian and Heidar Aliyev advocated the creation of a
South Caucasus security system that would complement the
existing European security system, Reuters and Noyan Tapan
reported. That system would involve the three South Caucasus
states plus Turkey, Russia, and the U.S. Aliyev said that
under the terms of such a regional security agreement, all
foreign troops should be withdrawn from the region, according
to Turan. It is unclear whether Moscow would agree to close
its military base in Armenia. LF

...DISCUSS KARABAKH CONFLICT

Kocharian and Aliyev met on 18
November in Istanbul with OSCE Chairman in Office Knut
Vollebaek and the foreign ministers of the three states that
co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group (the U.S., Russia, and France)
to discuss the ongoing efforts to resolve the Karabakh
conflict. No details of those talks were revealed. The two
presidents also met separately on 19 November with U.S.
President Bill Clinton, who praised their commitment to
ongoing peace talks. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian told a correspondent for RFE/RL's Armenian Service
on 19 November that the summit played a "very positive" role
in removing barriers to further progress in the Karabakh
peace talks. Oskanian noted that the final document adopted
by the 54 summit participants hailed the recent direct talks
between Kocharian and Aliyev but called for the resumption of
Minsk Group-mediated talks as "the most appropriate format
for finding a solution to the conflict." LF

GEORGIA, RUSSIA AGREE ON CLOSURE OF TWO RUSSIAN BASES

Meeting on 18 November on the sidelines of the OSCE Istanbul
summit, Georgian and Russian representatives reached
preliminary agreement that in accordance with the revised CFE
Treaty, Moscow will close the two largest of its four
military bases in Georgia by 1 July 2001, Caucasus Press
reported. The two bases are in Vaziani and Gudauta. All
Russian military personnel there must leave six months before
that date. An inventory of the equipment at those bases will
be undertaken soon, Georgian Defense Minister David Tevzadze
told journalists in Tbilisi on 20 November. He added that the
fate of the two remaining bases in Akhalkalaki and Batumi
will be determined at bilateral talks beginning next year.
The chairman of the Georgian parliamentary Committee on
Defense and Security, Revaz Adamia, had proposed in May that
the Vaziani and Gudauta bases be closed (see "RFE/RL
Newsline," 24 May 1999). LF

RUSSIAN PLANE AGAIN VIOLATES GEORGIAN AIRSPACE

The Georgian
Foreign Ministry protested to Moscow over the incursion into
Georgian airspace on 18 November of a Russian Su-25 fighter
aircraft, Interfax reported. The aircraft overflew the north
Georgian village of Shatili, close to the Georgian-Chechen
border, where Russian helicopters dropped anti-personnel
mines the previous day (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 November
1999). A Russian Air Force spokesman told Interfax on 20
November that two Russian Su-25 aircraft had flown close to
the Georgian frontier on 18 November, but he denied that
either had entered Georgian airspace. LF

DEMONSTRATORS CALL ON SOUTH OSSETIAN PRESIDENT TO RESIGN

An
opposition movement named Hope of Ossetia staged a
demonstration in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali,
Caucasus Press reported on 18 November, citing "Dilis
gazeti." The demonstrators protested the catastrophic
economic and energy situation in the unrecognized republic
and called for the resignation of its president, Lyudvig
Chibirov. It was the first public expression of discontent
with Chibirov. On 16 November, "Dilis gazeti" reported that
Chibirov has appealed to the entire Ossetian nation to
contribute funds for the construction of hydro-electric power
stations after the Georgian Energy Ministry signaled its
intention to cut off power supplies to the region because of
the region's inability to pay for them. Russia has already
stopped supplying South Ossetia with electricity owing to the
republic's $15 million unpaid debt. LF

ABKHAZ GOVERMENT IN EXILE DEMANDS PAYMENT OF BACK WAGES

Some
200 employees of the Health, Education, and Culture
Ministries of the Abkhaz government in exile staged a protest
demonstration outside the state chancellery in Tbilisi on 22
November to demand payment of their salaries for the past
nine months, Caucasus Press reported. Deputy Education
Minister Vakhtang Gasviani said that the monies earmarked for
salaries had instead been used for business trips and
stationery. The Georgian Finance Ministry has accused the
government in exile of misappropriating budget funds (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 19 November 1999). LF

NEW GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT CONVENES

Georgia's newly elected
parliament convened for the first time on 20 November and
elected Zurab Zhvania as its chairman by a vote of 162 to 29,
Caucasus Press reported. Zhvania had served as chairman in
the outgoing legislature. LF

KAZAKHSTAN, RUSSIA AGREE ON COMPENSATION FOR ROCKET ACCIDENT

During talks in Astana on 18 November, the deputy prime
ministers of Russia and Kazakhstan agreed that Moscow will
pay approximately $400,000 in compensation for damage caused
by the explosion of a Russian Proton rocket shortly after
blastoff from the Baikonur cosmodrome on 27 October, Interfax
reported. Moscow had paid $270,000 in compensation after an
earlier Proton explosion in July. On 20 November, Russian
Space Agency Director Yuri Koptev told Interfax he is pleased
with the agreement that Moscow reached with Kazakhstan on 18
November regarding restrictions on future launches in the
event of another rocket explosion. Under that agreement,
Kazakhstan does not have the right to ban further launches,
but Moscow undertakes to suspend all further launches of
rockets of the type involved until the causes of the accident
are clarified. LF

FORMER PREMIER CONSIDERS RETURNING TO KAZAKHSTAN

Akezhan
Kazhegeldin may take up President Nursultan Nazarbaev's 4
November invitation to return to Kazakhstan, Interfax-
Kazakhstan reported on 19 November (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 5
November 1999). Kazhegeldin said that drawing all "healthy
forces" into politics is the only way to extract the country
from the current crisis. He said that he is prepared to
mediate a dialogue between the Kazakh authorities and the
opposition. He called for the passing of a new constitution
and election legislation and the holding of new presidential
and parliamentary elections. Kazhegeldin was barred from
contesting the presidential elections in January 1999. LF

KAZAKHSTAN'S SECURITY MINISTRY THWARTS SEPARATISTS

A senior
official of Kazakhstan's National Security Ministry said on
19 November that the ministry's forces detained a group of 22
armed men the previous night in East Kazakhstan Oblast,
Reuters and RFE/RL's Almaty correspondent reported. The
official said the men intended to seize local government
buildings in the city of Ust-Kamennogorsk and proclaim all or
part of the oblast Russian territory. LF

KYRGYZSTAN NAMES PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION DATE

Under a decree
signed by President Askar Akaev on 12 November and published
on 19 November, elections to both chambers of the parliament
will take place on 20 February, RFE/RL's Bishkek bureau
reported. The People's Assembly (upper house) will be
composed of 45 deputies and the Legislative Assembly (lower
house) 60 deputies, of whom 15 will be elected under the
proportional system. LF

STILL NO AGREEMENT ON TAJIK ELECTION LAW

Tajik government
and opposition representatives on the Commission for National
Reconciliation have still not reached agreement on six
articles of the draft election law, Asia Plus-Blitz reported
on 22 November, quoting the commission's press secretary,
Akmadshoh Komilzoda (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 18 November
1999). The opposition has rejected the government's demand
that parliamentary candidates be nominated only by "councils"
of voters. The deadline for finalizing the text of the law
was 20 November, but the commission will meet again on 23
November in an attempt to reach agreement. LF

WOMEN DEMONSTRATE IN UZBEK CAPITAL

Some 40 women staged a
public protest outside the city mayor's office in Tashkent on
18 November to protest the arrest of relatives on what they
say were fabricated charges of possession of drugs and
weapons and of illicit Islamic literature, Human Rights Watch
reported. All the arrested men are practicing Muslims and
have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 10 years for
encroaching on the constitutional order of the Republic of
Uzbekistan. In related news, Uzbek Human Rights Society
General Secretary Talib Yakubov told an UN Human Rights panel
in Geneva last week that the Uzbek authorities have built a
huge prison camp in the desert southwest of the Aral Sea,
where persons sentenced for their religious beliefs are
incarcerated, an RFE/RL correspondent reported on 19 November
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 29 September 1999). Yakubov said that
38 prisoners have died at that camp so far this year. LF

UKRAINE'S KUCHMA VOWS TO NOMINATE PUSTOVOYTENKO AS PREMIER...

President Leonid Kuchma told journalists in Istanbul on 19
November that he will propose Prime Minister Valeriy
Pustovoytenko to head the new cabinet, Interfax reported.
Kuchma added that he made that decision on the basis of "this
year's economic results." JM

...REJECTS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS BILL

Kuchma also said he
will not sign the bill on parliamentary elections that
lawmakers adopted in the first reading on 19 November. The
bill proposes a proportional system. Kuchma noted that he
could sign the bill only if a bicameral parliament were
introduced in Ukraine. He added that the bill does not
conform "with the interests of a majority of people," saying
that political parties in Ukraine reflect "only the interests
of their leaders, not the people." The chances of those
parties improve under a proportional election system. JM

UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT BICKERS WITH KUCHMA OVER HIS
INAUGURATION

The parliament on 19 November passed a
resolution stating that Kuchma's inauguration for a second
term in office will take place on 30 November in the
parliament, Interfax reported. Kuchma said the same day that
he has discussed his inauguration with parliamentary speaker
Oleksandr Tkachenko and agreed with him that the ceremony
will take place in the Ukrayina concert hall. "Should I take
my oath in front of the parliament? I should take it in front
of the Ukrainian people," Kuchma said. Meanwhile,
parliamentary deputy Oleksandr Yelyashkevich said that if
Kuchma's inauguration does not take place in the parliament,
this will mean "the beginning of the end of parliamentarism"
in Ukraine, according to Interfax. JM

BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT SCOLDS POLAND, LITHUANIA OVER HUMAN
RIGHTS

Speaking at the OSCE Istanbul summit on 19 November,
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka advised his Polish
and Lithuanian counterparts, Aleksander Kwasniewski and
Valdas Adamkus, to mind their own business instead of "poking
their noses into someone else's garden." Lukashenka was
responding to both president's remarks the previous day that
the OSCE needs to pay attention to violations of human rights
in Belarus. Lukashenka said Poland's government itself
violates human rights by "beating workers and peasants on a
mass scale." And Lukashenka accused Lithuania of having
political prisoners, "old people who today do not pose a
threat either to Europe or to [Lithuania]." JM

YELTSIN THANKS LUKASHENKA FOR SUPPORT TO RUSSIA OVER
CHECHNYA

Quoting official sources, Belapan reported on 21
November that Russian President Boris Yeltsin called
Lukashenka the previous day to thank him for supporting
Russia's stance on Chechnya at the OSCE summit in Istanbul.
Lukashenka had said that the OSCE countries "are obliged if
not to support the Russian people then at least to understand
the Russians" over their military action in Chechnya. Yeltsin
officially invited Lukashenka to visit Moscow on 26 November,
when both politicians are expected to sign a treaty
establishing the Belarus-Russia union state. JM

ESTONIAN SUPREME COURT POINTS FINGER AT CENTRAL BANK, KALLAS

The Supreme Court has blamed the Central Bank for failing to
carry out its supervisory duties, which led to Pohja-Eesti
Pank losing some $10 million, "Eesti Paevaleht" reported on
20 November. The court also suggested that delays by the
Central Bank in reporting the situation complicated the
investigation into the affair. The current board of the
Central Bank rejects those accusations. However, the court
also hints at negligence on the part of Finance Minister Siim
Kallas, who at the time was head of the bank, and his then
adviser Urmas Kaju. A criminal case against Kallas and Kaju
remains open after the Supreme Court failed to concur with
the full acquittals from lower courts and returned part of
the verdict to a lower court (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1
November 1999). MH

RUSSIAN STATE DUMA PASSES ANTI-LATVIAN LEGISLATION

Ahead of
the 19 December parliamentary elections, the Russian State
Duma has passed several resolutions and bills directed
against Latvia, BNS reported. On 19 November, the Duma passed
a resolution condemning Latvia's draft language law, which is
currently being debated in the Latvian parliament. Prime
Minister Andris Skele quoted Duma Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Vladimir Lukin as saying "Do not take these things
to heart, it's pre-election time with us!" Also, the Duma
voted in the second reading on 16 November to impose
sanctions against Latvia. All 255 deputies in the chamber
voted in favor of the bill, which allows Russia to take
"economic countermeasures" against so-called infringements of
the rights of Russian-language speakers in Latvia. The
Russian government, however, has expressed opposition to such
a bill. Latvian Foreign Minister Indulis Berzins said the
decision may have adverse effects on bilateral relations, but
he attributed this to the Duma election campaign. Also on 16
November, the Duma approved a bill supporting Russian
citizens in Latvia. MH

POLISH PRESIDENT TO DECIDE FATE OF TAX REFORM

Poland's lower
house on 20 November approved most of the upper house's
amendments to the tax reform, thereby ending the
controversial legislative process of lowering personal income
and corporate tax rates (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 November
1999), PAP reported. The opposition Democratic Left Alliance,
which strongly opposed the reform, did not participate in the
vote. Now the fate of the tax reform is to be decided by
President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who must sign the
legislation by the end of this month if it is to take effect
on 1 January 2000. Kwasniewski's lawyer Ryszard Kalisz said
on 22 November that the president will make his decision this
week after holding "consultations." JM

POLISH TEACHERS PROTEST LOW WAGES, EDUCATION REFORM

According to the Union of Polish Teachers, half of the
country's 600,000 teachers took part in the 19 November
strike to protest low wages and insufficient funding for the
educational reform launched by the government earlier this
year. The Education Ministry, however, said that only 20
percent of teachers participated in the strike. Education
Minister Miroslaw Handke commented that those who took part
in the protest "do not understand the new [educational]
system...are worried about losing their jobs, and themselves
have a poor level of education," according to Reuters. JM

PRAGUE REJECTS RUSSIAN CRITICISM OF CHECHEN FOREIGN
MINISTER'S VISIT

The Czech Foreign Ministry on 19 November
dismissed Russian criticism of Chechen Foreign Minister Ilyas
Akhmadov's visit to the Czech Republic, CTK reported. Czech
Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said in Prague that he was
surprised by the tone and formulation of the Russian protest
(see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 November 1999). Kavan said the
Czech Republic rejects all forms of terrorism and that it
considers Chechnya part of Russia. He added, however, that
Prague cannot condone the violation of human rights when
"terrorism is fought in the form of a war." In other news,
Josef Lux, the former leader of the Christian Democrats, died
in the U.S. on 22 November from leukemia. Lux, 43, served as
deputy premier and agriculture minister from 1992-1998. PB

Jan Ruml, the head of the opposition Freedom
Union, said on 20 November that the failure of the ruling
Social Democrats (CSSD) to reconstruct the government is a
sign that the CSSD and the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) are
working as a coalition, CTK reported. Ruml, speaking in Mlada
Boleslav, said that between the two parties, there is a
"strange vassal bond" that acts as an alliance limiting "the
sovereignty of individual political parties." The CSSD
governs the country with a minority of seats in the
parliament under an "opposition agreement" with the ODS. Ruml
has proposed that the ODS scrap the agreement with the CSSD
and form a coalition with a four-party alliance headed by the
Freedom Union. The ODS has rejected that proposal. PB

ALBRIGHT IN BRATISLAVA

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright arrived in Bratislava on 22 November for a one-day
visit, CTK reported. Albright met with Slovak Premier Mikulas
Dzurinda and discussed, among other things, the conditions
Slovakia must meet to be invited to join NATO. Albright said
Slovakia has already accomplished much to comply with NATO
standards and that she appreciates the fact that Slovak
troops are participating in UN peacekeeping missions.
Dzurinda said after the meeting that Slovakia is seeking to
gain admission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development and is expecting to join the first wave of
countries seeking EU membership. Dzurinda said Slovakia must
strengthen the protection of human rights and the rights of
ethnic minorities, particularly those of the Romany
population. PB

SLOVAK POLL SUGGESTS MECIAR'S PARTY MOST POPULAR

Former
Premier Vladimir Meciar's opposition Movement for a
Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) remains the most popular party in
Slovakia according to a recent poll, CTK reported on 21
November. Some 26 percent of those polled said they support
the HZDS, while only 12.4 percent said they back the ruling
Slovak Democratic Coalition. The new party Direction,
recently formed by independent parliament deputy Robert Fico,
came third with 12 percent support. The Hungarian Coalition
Party was backed by 8.8 percent and the Democratic Left Party
7.5 percent. Slovak President Rudolf Schuster was the most
trusted politician, with 31.8 percent support. Meciar came
second with 20.1 percent backing. PB

HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT SATISFIED WITH ECONOMY'S PERFORMANCE
THIS YEAR

The Hungarian cabinet said after a meeting on 20
November in Szentendre that the economy's performance this
year has met expectations, MTI reported. Government spokesman
Gabor Borokai said that the average wage increase was
somewhat higher than expected and will be 16.2 percent higher
on average. But he said inflation, projected to reach 11
percent this year, will be only 10 percent. Last year's
inflation rate was 14 percent. Borokai said GDP growth will
be 4 percent; it was projected to be 4-5 percent. PB

CROATIAN PRESIDENT'S HEALTH DETERIORATES...

The health of
President Franjo Tudjman worsened overnight, and his
treatment "has been adjusted accordingly," doctors said in a
statement on 22 November. The statement did not provide any
details. The Croatian leader has been in a Zagreb hospital
since 1 November and has spent much of the time in intensive
care. The authorities have provided little information and no
photographs of the leader during his hospitalization. He is
widely believed to have suffered from cancer since at least
1996. PM

...WHILE POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY CONTINUES

Tudjman failed to
meet a deadline of midnight on 20 November to sign documents
authorizing parliamentary elections on 22 December. Reuters
reported that it is unclear whether elections can still be
held legally in December or whether 27 January may be the
next possible date. Parliamentary speaker Vlatko Pavletic is
expected to meet with representatives of the parties
represented in the legislature on 22 November to discuss ways
of avoiding political paralysis caused by Tudjman's apparent
incapacitation (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 19 November 1999). The
opposition demands a full report on Tudjman's health before
making any decision. The constitution allows the speaker of
the parliament to take over presidential duties if the
president is permanently incapacitated or dies. Presidential
elections must be then held within 60 days of the speaker's
assuming those duties. The constitution contains no provision
for what is to happen if the president is temporarily
incapacitated. PM

VIOLENT INCIDENT BETWEEN CLERICS IN MONTENEGRO

Serbian
Orthodox Father Dragan Stanisic hit Montenegrin Orthodox
Metropolitan Mihajlo in the face on a mountain road near
Cetinje on 21 November, the independent news agency Montena
faks reported. AP added that Stanisic's entourage thereupon
"trashed" Mihajlo's car. Stanisic told RFE/RL's South Slavic
Service that no such incident took place. Police confiscated
a video tape allegedly of the clash from a local television
crew and are investigating. In Cetinje, some 250 angry
demonstrators protested the incident. The authorities sent
out an unspecified number of riot police and called in
reinforcements from Podgorica in an apparent attempt to
prevent matters from getting out of hand. The Montenegrin
Orthodox Church was founded in 1991, but the Serbian Orthodox
Church does not recognize it. PM

YUGOSLAV ARMY OFFICER BEATEN IN MONTENEGRO

An unspecified
number of people hit Yugoslav army Lieutenant Colonel Radovan
Aleksic with batons in front of his home in Podgorica, where
he headed army intelligence on 19 November, Reuters reported.
A statement from the Second Army said: "Since the incident
involves a high-ranking army officer, it could have much
greater implications, and the army demands an urgent
investigation by Montenegrin authorities." The statement did
not indicate what those implications might be. PM

CIVILIAN FLIGHTS SUSPENDED IN KOSOVA

KFOR said in a
statement on 21 November that the approximately 30 civilian
flights per week into Prishtina airport have been suspended.
The airport will remain closed to civilian traffic pending
the completion of an investigation by French and UN experts
into a recent plane crash, in which all 24 people on board
died (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 15 November 1999). A French
spokesman suggested that confusion could arise between ground
controllers using military terminology and civilian pilots.
The suspension of flights will mean increased traffic at the
border crossing with Macedonia at Blace, Reuters reported. PM

SERBIAN POLICE KILLED IN MINE INCIDENT

Two Serbian policemen
died and six were injured on 21 November when their vehicle
struck a land mine near Kursumlija, 10 kilometers north of
the border between Serbia and Kosova. Serbian authorities
blamed "Albanian terrorists" for the incident. AP reported
from Prishtina that unidentified ethnic Albanian guerrillas
have recently made repeated incursions into Serbia proper.
Under the June peace agreements, the Kosova Liberation Army
is long supposed to have disarmed. Serbian forces are obliged
to maintain a specified distance from the border with Kosova.
PM

LEADING ALBANIAN WRITER CALLS FOR RESTRAINT

Ismail Kadare,
who is widely considered to be the greatest living Albanian
writer, told the Kosova station Radio 21 on 21 November that
ethnic Albanians should not seek revenge against Serbs.
Kadare stressed that there can be no excuse for what the
Serbian forces did in Kosova. He added, however, that the
Albanians can show that they are "brave and noble" by not
answering violence with violence. PM

INDEPENDENT ECONOMISTS TO LAUNCH 'CONTRACT WITH SERBIA'

Mladjan Dinkic, who is a spokesman for the G-17 group of
independent economists, said in Belgrade on 21 November that
his group is preparing a document called a "Contract with
Serbia" as a joint platform for the opposition. He stressed
that while the opposition parties have failed to unite in a
single coalition, he hopes that perhaps they can agree at
least on a common platform. Dinkic noted that the opposition
must pool its resources if it is to defeat the three-party
governing coalition. PM

DAYTON ANNIVERSARY: BOSNIAN UNITY LONG WAY OFF

The leading
representatives of the international community in charge of
enforcing the Dayton peace agreement said in a statement in
Sarajevo on 20 November that true peace remains a distant
goal. The international community's Wolfgang Petritsch, the
UN's Jacques Klein, SFOR's General Ron Adams, and the OSCE's
Robert Berry stressed that Bosnia has yet to become a united
state that includes all ethnic groups. The joint statement
marked the fourth anniversary of the conclusion of the Dayton
peace treaty, which ended the war in Bosnia. In Banja Luka,
representatives of Bosnia's religious communities called for
the return of all property that was wrongly taken from
religious organizations during the war. PM

ROMANIAN OPPOSITION LEADER SAYS ECONOMIC DECLINE HURTING EU
CHANCES

Former President Ion Iliescu said in Sofia on 21
November that the economic decline in the country is hurting
Bucharest's chances of joining the EU, AP reported. Iliescu,
who was in Sofia to attend a seminar marking the fall of the
Berlin Wall, said the government's reform programs are
"undermining the economy and causing a decline in people's
living conditions." He said reform should lead to economic
growth and is the "only honest way we can get closer to
integrating in the European Union." Iliescu, who was
president from 1990 to 1996, has seen his popularity surge in
recent opinion polls as the economy continues to stagnate. PB

ROMANIA CONFIRMED FOR OSCE CHAIR IN 2001

Romania on 19
November was officially named to take over the chairmanship
of the OSCE in 2001, AFP reported. Norway currently holds the
chair, which is filled by the country's foreign minister.
Austria will have the chairmanship in 2000. In other news,
the European Investment Bank loaned Romania 210 million Euros
($216 million) on 19 November for the construction of a major
highway from Bucharest to the Black Sea port of Constanta,
Mediafax reported. PB

MOLDOVAN PRESIDENT CONVINCES PREMIER-DESIGNATE TO CARRY ON

Moldovan Premier-designate Valeriu Bobutac decided after a 20
November meeting with President Petru Lucinschi to continue
to seek support for a new government, BasaPress reported. The
previous day, Bobutac said he had failed to form a new
government and had asked Lucinschi to relieve him of his
mandate. But parliamentary speaker Dumitru Diacov said
Bobutac has changed his mind and will continue to work for a
new government. Moldova has been without a government since
Premier Ion Sturza resigned two weeks ago. PB

CLINTON THANKS BULGARIA FOR SUPPORT OVER KOSOVA

U.S.
President Bill Clinton said in Sofia on 22 November that he
is "very grateful" to Bulgarian leaders for the support they
gave to NATO during the air campaign against Yugoslavia, AFP
reported. Clinton said before a meeting with his Bulgarian
counterpart, Petar Stoyanov, that "we are committed" to
supporting Bulgaria "politically, economically, and
militarily over the long run." It is the first time ever that
a U.S. president has visited Bulgaria. Clinton is to meet
with Premier Ivan Kostov and give an address on Sofia's
Nevsky Square. Kostov said he will warn Clinton that a
decline in living standards in Yugoslavia may send refugees
to Bulgaria. PB

MOVES FOR CHANGE WITHIN ALBANIA'S DEMOCRATIC PARTY

by Fabian Schmidt

Changes are under way in Albania's leading conservative
party. These could prove a first step toward renewing the
party and overcoming the polarization between the Democrats
and Socialists that has characterized political life for most
of the past decade.

A number of prominent politicians from the opposition
Democratic Party (PD) announced on 9 November that they will
form a group called the Democratic Alternative within the
party. They seek to challenge the dominant position of PD
leader and former President Sali Berisha. They also want to
promote democracy within the party and to improve the PD's
standing in the eyes of voters.

The group includes eight out of a total of 27 PD
parliamentary deputies. The Tirana daily "Koha Jone" quoted
unnamed members of the group as saying that they will push
for an extraordinary party congress soon.

The decision to form the new group comes just over one
month after Secretary-General Genc Pollo challenged Berisha
for the party leadership at a national congress. Pollo
withdrew his candidature shortly before the vote, however,
saying he had received threats against himself and his
family. The proposals put forward earlier this month by the
eight are similar to the ones that Pollo advanced before the
congress.

Unnamed party officials supporting the reformers told
"Koha Jone" that they intend to change the platform,
statutes, and leadership of the party. They plan to achieve
their aim by winning grassroots support from among the rank
and file. It remains unclear if that challenge will succeed,
but the reformers are already hard at work. They have begun
to collect signatures at local party meetings throughout the
country.

The statutes stipulate that a quarter of all PD members
or a quarter of the members of its National Council must
request that a congress be held. "Koha Jone" also noted that
the reformers have held frequent meetings with former PD
members who earlier quit the party because of Berisha's
increasingly authoritarian style. Since 1992, when the
Democrats won parliamentary and presidential elections and
put an end to the rule of the former Communists, the PD has
lost many of its co-founders and prominent leaders. Some of
them founded a smaller, liberal-oriented center-right party,
the Democratic Alliance, which is now in the Socialist-
dominated coalition government. Others, like the young and
energetic former party leader Eduard Selami have withdrawn
from politics for the time being.

Selami has warned that the Democrats will isolate
themselves if the party fails to reform from within. One of
the eight reformers--legislator and former Foreign Relations
Secretary Eduard Demi--takes a similar view. He told the
"Albanian Daily News" that the PD is losing popular support.
Demi stressed that it needs to change from within and to
regain the "respect and credibility" it once enjoyed from the
electorate. Demi said: "We want to gain back the people's
belief in the PD in order to win the next elections," which
are due in 2001. He added that the party is suffering from a
"veil of ridicule that covers the PD in the eyes of the
international community." By this, he meant the frequent
criticism by international officials of repeated
parliamentary boycotts by the PD legislators and their lack
of constructive participation in the drafting of new
legislation.

The daily noted that the conflict between the reformers
and Berisha's supporters became public when the former
refused to boycott a parliamentary session in early November,
at which the cabinet of newly appointed Prime Minister Ilir
Meta faced a vote of confidence. This was a bold move, but
the eight will need to win sufficient support from within the
party or face the same fate as other Berisha challengers have
in the past. Jemin Gjana, who is the pro-Berisha leader of
the Democrats' parliamentary group, said that "those who do
not see themselves in one party may join another party...or
they can found a new party."

Another Berisha spokesman told the "Albanian Daily News"
that the party leadership will exclude those deputies who
attended the recent parliamentary session from running as
Democrats in the next elections. He added that the eight
"have excluded themselves by disobeying the leadership's
orders [and by] caring only for their own interests." Demi,
however, countered that the party may expel only members who
break with the party's political principles. He argued that
"by attending the session, we respected our party's political
line.... We expressed our opinion, and none of us approved
the program of the Socialist Party government." He added that
the harsh reaction from the party leadership "is emotional,
and it comes out of desperation."

Another supporter of the reformers, Tirana mayor Albert
Brojka, recently told Vienna's "Die Presse" that Berisha and
Socialist Party leader Fatos Nano are responsible for the
polarization of Albanian political life. Brojka said that
both have a "communist mentality" and that the time has come
for younger people to come to the fore.
The author is a research analyst for the former Yugoslavia
and Albania at the Sued-Ost Institut in Munich, Germany.